Until We Bleed
by PyroQueenOfFire
Summary: Damon and Stefan Salvatore have both returned to Mystic Falls. They're being hunted by a slayer and Stefan has to face an old flame that died saving his life...AND adjust to life back in Mystic Falls. Stefan/OC; Damon/OC
1. Paths That Led Us Here

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Okay so I stopped reading the TVD books cause I wasn't as into them as all the other L.J. Smith series I've read and I'm changing a little bit—okay, well a lot.**

**There are some things about the species that will be different—my slayers are a little different too—but I hope you guys like this anyway.**

**WARNINGS: Language, Blood, Violence, Gore, Sex, Dark Themes**

**ENJOY!**

xxxx

"_No, no, no, no, no!" She cried, tucking her dark hair behind her ears frantically and trying to catch her breath._

_This wasn't how it was supposed to happen—this wasn't how her reunion with him was supposed to go. Stefan looked up at her, pain etched across his features and he wasn't sure what she was doing when she bared her wrist to him but suddenly he knew…he knew and he couldn't do that. He had spent so long off of blood that wasn't animal blood and he couldn't do this to her—he couldn't do this to himself._

"_Please just drink." She said softly, Stefan understanding the fondness in her voice. "Please—it'll be like old times."_

_Stefan took in a breath even though it was difficult for him. "I'm not 100% fond of the old times."_

"_Me neither but come on…just do it." She whispered before she bit her wrist and put it back in front of his face, the scent of blood filling up his nostrils._

Renae Carlington woke up with a start and ran her fingers through her dark hair, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her nerves. It had been a long time since she had seen Stefan, and she definitely didn't want her meeting with him to be him getting hurt and her having to have him drink her blood. There were so many questions plaguing her mind though, and she shook the thoughts away to get up and get dressed.

It was hard to be back in the world after everything that had happened to her, but Renae had been coping. She had been dead once upon a time and brought back as a Spirit, and now she was trying to be involved in life. In fact she'd been in Mystic Falls parading as a new student since the very end of the last school year and she wasn't quite sure what to do now—not when the dreams were coming back.

"Just pull yourself together, Renae." She whispered to herself, brushing her hair as she looked at the clothes hanging in her closet deciding what to wear on her first day of school this particular school year.

She just put a smile on her face and got ready to go, getting herself some breakfast and leaving her empty house. There really wasn't much for her here, nor was there much for her to do, but she knew that was the way it had to be. Something was coming to Mystic Falls and she had to be ready for it…she had to be able to do her part this time like she couldn't before.

xx

Aaliyah Grey took a deep breath as she looked at the class schedule in her hand, pushing her blonde hair out of her eyes and then looking around. It was early and yet the school still seemed to be pretty busy, Aaliyah looking around to see if she could find who she was looking for. She was only 18, but at the same time she had a job to do and she wasn't going to just sit around and wait for something to come to her—she was pro active.

She was a slayer, and with that responsibility and training, she was somehow able to live at least a semblance of a normal life. The slayers before her had their own side agenda and it was her turn to take that over—her turn to be sure the forces had led her in the right direction. They had never led her astray before, but she was also skeptical: why would the Salvatore brothers risk coming back here?

"You must be new." Caroline Forbes said pleasantly, extending her hand out to Aaliyah. "I'm Caroline."

Aaliyah smiled and shook her hand. "Aaliyah."

"That's a pretty name." Caroline gushed, and then she looked up to see Elena Gilbert and Bonnie Bennett and made an apologetic face at Aaliyah. "I need to rush off, but welcome to Mystic Falls!"

"Thank you." Aaliyah told her politely, smiling a little and then shaking her head as she saw the blonde rush over to the other girls and wrap one of the brunette's in a big hug.

She wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew in an instant that she could sense a vampire…and something else familiar. Looking up, Aaliyah saw one of the vampires that she had come into town to hunt, nodding a little and heading to her locker because she knew not to confront him right there in school. There was a time and place for that, and Aaliyah had a plan.

Another thing about being a slayer was that Aaliyah had a lot of memories from the ones before her. Damon Salvatore had killed the three before her and his image was ingrained in her mind…but so was the image of the girl that was down the row of lockers from her. She looked almost _exactly_ the same, and yet Aaliyah knew that the girl before wasn't a vampire…neither was the familiar looking girl that Caroline had hugged before.

"Talk about weird." Aaliyah said to herself.

She set to putting her books in her locker and then she looked up just in time to see a look cross the girls' face and she hid in a nearby classroom. Stefan had started down the hall in her general direction and she had hid, Aaliyah raising her eyebrows and heading for the classroom. It was amazingly her homeroom anyway, and she wanted to understand what was going on—want to know how this girl was here.

xx

Renae closed her eyes as Stefan passed the classroom she had hidden in, shaking her head and biting her lip—_how_ could he be there? What was he doing back in Mystic Falls? She had to admit that part of her had been hoping that someday he would return, but what was the point? This was _definitely_ she 'something big' that she had known was coming and how could she just ignore that he was here? She was most likely going to have a class with him…she should skip…except she had hidden in her homeroom classroom and her teacher was in it.

"I have to go." Renae voiced lamely, and headed out, running into Aaliyah. "I'm so sorry."

With that, Renae hurried in the opposite direction Stefan had gone, Aaliyah making up her mind to follow her. She knew it would unnerve her, but Aaliyah really didn't feel like she had a choice in the matter and quickened her pace. Once outside she called to Renae, who slowed down and turned around, surprised that the girl had followed her, but willing to listen to what she had to say.

"I really am sorry I practically ran you over." Renae said, tucking some hair behind her ears. "I just had to get out of the school."

Aaliyah nodded slowly. "Because of Stefan?"

"How…how do you know Stefan?" Renae asked her, astonishment crossing all of her features.

"We have a lot to talk about." Aaliyah said simply, pointing to the parking lot. "Shall we?"

xx

Damon understood that there was a slayer tailing him and Stefan and though he had his own agenda, he knew he had to warn Stefan. Stefan was his brother and rival or not, it wasn't fair of Damon to just let his brother die without giving him a fair fight. So he headed to the house that he and Stefan used to live in together with their father all those years ago, and he settled himself in.

When he felt like he was composed and like he knew what the next step was, it was dark out and he had been wandering everywhere. He'd even stopped to get himself a drink from a human girl that was attractive enough but didn't matter to him, and then he'd seen her. She was in the cemetery and she looked over in his direction, nodding at him and taking a couple of steps towards him.

"Damon Salvatore." She said with a nod. "I've been looking for you."

Damon smirked and shrugged. "Well now you've found me, but it won't do you any good, Aaliyah."

"How do you know my name?" Aaliyah asked, fear on her face.

"I know a lot more about you than you think I do—I know you talked with Renae today. How are you two going to explain your little partnership to the teenagers at school?" Damon teased as he assessed the girl in front of him.

She was young, but she was strong, and he knew that come the time they actually fought it out, she would be a challenge. Aaliyah wasn't like the others and yet Damon couldn't help but feel a slight pang of hatred for her and the feeling was mutual. Damon had destroyed almost everything he had ever laid his hands on, and Aaliyah's family had been one of those. Besides, she could still remember the pleasure in his eyes from memories of the slayers before her that he had killed for sport.

"This isn't the time nor place." Aaliyah said simply. "Why are you here?"

Damon raised his eyebrows. "Why are you giving me an out?"

"You'll understand in time." Aaliyah replied and then she looked at the grave by her feet only to look up and see Damon gone.

**Note: There you have it! Chapter one and it has a **_**lot**_** in it! There will be a **_**lot**_** of flashbacks, and **_**lots**_** of explanations, and **_**lots**_** of drama and **_**angst**_** and yeah…I hope you guys enjoyed it! Feedback is always appreciated!**


	2. Facing the Past

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**Yeah, so I'm kind of already in love with this story and I hope to update a chapter a day, but I'm not promising that.**

**Still, I love this story and any input or suggestions are always nice.**

**WARNINGS: Language, Blood, Violence, Gore, Sex, Dark Themes**

**ENJOY!**

xxxx

That night Renae walked around the forest and ran her hands along her arms as she thought about what she and Aaliyah had talked about. She had skipped school and she had known that she really shouldn't have, but at the same time she felt like what she and Aaliyah had discussed was _so_ much more important than school. Besides, she hadn't had to see Stefan yet, so right then she didn't have to deal with talking to him about why she was there—so far only Aaliyah knew.

_Renae smiled a little as she poured Aaliyah a cup of coffee, setting it down in front of her as Aaliyah sat at the island counter in the kitchen. She was waiting for Renae to spill everything, but Renae wanted Aaliyah to go first and Aaliyah was more than happy to. Aaliyah understood the look that Renae was giving her and she just nodded and looked at her coffee cup before she took a deep breath and began._

"_I'm a slayer. There's only one and that slayer is supposed to take out as many vampires and demons as she can. When she dies, her essence is placed into the next waiting slayer, as well as many memories. I've been training to be a slayer since I was 8, and even before then, my parents knew I was going to be one and helped to learn accordingly. This was something that I was born for." Aaliyah explained to her, shrugging. "Damon and Stefan are my own little side quest—my own little vendetta. Damon killed some of my family members and he and Stefan are __**both**__ vampires that have hurt former slayers."_

_Renae nodded slowly. "So you're here to kill Stefan and Damon?"_

"_Yes." Aaliyah admitted with a nod. "I've seen you too, you know—with them. I have memories of two of the former slayers hunting Stefan down and there you were, with him. Did you know what he was?" She nodded slowly as Renae nodded. "Is there anything else you can tell me about him then?"_

"_Stefan…there's nothing bad to say about Stefan. He's a good guy and I still love him very much." Renae admitted, a soft smile on her face._

"_Do you hear yourself, Renae?" Aaliyah asked suddenly, Renae looking up from smiling at her coffee cup thinking about Stefan. "He's a __**vampire**__! He's __**killed**__ people!"_

_Renae nodded slowly and then looked down again, taking a deep breath and biting her lip. "So have I…I used to __**be**__ a vampire."_

_Aaliyah looked astonished and looked at her coffee cup too. "Oh…didn't see __**that**__ coming."_

"_I have some explaining to do too." Renae admitted, nodding._

_She just had to figure out exactly how to explain it all to Aaliyah in a way that she would understand. Renae had to get used to the idea of what she was as well, and that was why she had chosen Mystic Falls—that was why she had come back to where her ancestors had come from. She knew that here she would find a lot of the answers that she was looking for, and all that mattered was that—she had to understand._

"_There's a myth that goes back a ways about 'Spirits'—they're incredibly rare. Basically when a vampire dies for a good cause because of supernatural forces, they go to Heaven and are allowed to become angels. Since they died for a noble cause, they're allowed a choice to either stay in Heaven…or to go back to Earth—fall from grace. I chose to come back to Earth and start over after saving Stefan and a village from a demon and a witch seeking revenge for a coven of my great-grandmother's." Renae told her. "As you can see…things are complicated."_

_Aaliyah sipped her coffee and took a breath. "I think complicated is an understatement."_

Renae smiled softly at the thought of having at least one person know what she was and accept her. Aaliyah had seen all sorts of crazy, supernatural things and she wasn't afraid of Renae—that was nice to know. There was just no way that she could make Stefan understand why she had _hidden_ from him all these years. She just couldn't handle being with him and dealing with the fall-out of everything and now she was going to have to eventually and she needed time to prepare.

At the same time, Aaliyah was heading for the bonfire as well, thinking over seeing Damon. Why hadn't she done something about it? Why hadn't _he_? He _had_ to have known that she was stalling because she wasn't strong enough to take him down…so why didn't he exploit her weakness? He could have easily over powered her and killed her right on the spot but he just fled.

"Aaliyah?" Renae asked when she saw her.

Aaliyah smiled at her. "Hey, Renae."

"What are you doing here? I thought you were going to go patrolling to look out for other vampires—to check into the murders." Renae told her softly, tucking her dark hair behind her ears.

"I ran into Damon but nothing happened." Aaliyah said with a shrug. "He knows that we talked to each other and I don't trust him."

Renae nodded and shrugged. "Damon has a habit of knowing just about everything—even when you don't want him to. Have you…have you talked to Stefan yet?"

"No." Aaliyah replied shaking her head.

The two fell into silence and nodded, shaking their heads a little bit and then looking at each other. They had been brought together because of the Salvatores and because there was still something bigger set in motion than the two of them. What was going on, and what was their connection to it? What more did they need to know?

"Stefan is here." Aaliyah said in the silence, sensing his presence. "Have you spoken to him yet?"

Renae shook her head. "No…and I really don't plan on seeking him out."

"You have to talk to him—you may just be the 'in' that we need to figure out what is happening around here." Aaliyah explained, not really knowing how to tell Renae how much _she_ needed her so she could get close enough to the Salvatore's to kill them.

"I know you need me…I just don't think I can lead Stefan to his death, all right?" Renae told her.

Aaliyah opened her mouth to apologize and to tell her that she understand that Stefan meant a lot to her, but Renae had already headed away. She hurried home as Aaliyah looked up and caught Stefan talking to Elena, looking a little fidgety. Did he know that Renae was around? He almost _had_ to, didn't he? Why else would he just show up?

xx

The next morning before school started, Renae sipped her coffee and looked out her window in the kitchen. She was actually going to have to _do_ class that day and she didn't know if she was going to be able to handle that or not. Besides, how was she supposed to talk to Stefan when she still didn't know what she was going to say to him? The situation had to be handled delicately and she didn't know if she had it in her.

Meanwhile Damon was standing across the street from Aaliyah, both of them looking at each other. Aaliyah was incredibly upset that Damon was practically taunting her, but the fact that she was upset just made Damon smile. He wanted more than anything to provoke her into attacking, but he couldn't make the first move because it went against every plan that he had set in motion.

Aaliyah closed her eyes, wishing that he would go away and stop making her feel like she was in danger, and after a moment opened her eyes again—he was gone. Everything around him—all of the hustle and bustle—it had remained the same, but Damon was no longer watching her. She swallowed and then headed for school, her book bag on her shoulder, trying to figure out what to do next.

"It's just another day." Renae said aloud as she went to open up her door.

When she pulled the door open, however, she found herself face to face with Stefan Salvatore and a bouquet of flowers and she knew she looked surprised. What was he doing there and with a smile on his face as he held the flowers out to her? Here she was, back in his life after all of this time and he was _happy_ to see her? She knew she had to say something, but she just couldn't get the right words to come out.

"You're here." Renae told him, reaching out and taking the flowers from him.

He nodded slowly. "Yeah…why didn't you come to talk to me? Surely you knew I was here since I'm betting it's no coincidence that you skipped school yesterday."

"Should have known you would have looked me up eventually." She said and motioned for him to walk into the house. "It's been a while."

"Why didn't you tell me you were back? _How_ are you back?" Stefan asked her, getting right to the point.

Renae took a deep breath and set the flowers in the kitchen, turning around to see Stefan close to her and she blushed. She hadn't been this close to him in a long while and she still had to explain _why_ she was back…_here_. When she and Stefan had been together it hadn't been in Mystic Falls—they'd been away and moving around and sometimes they'd even been with Damon before the two split off to go their own separate ways.

"I was killed by supernatural means and so I was brought back…only differently. I went to Heaven but I came back and now I'm here…I'm a Spirit." Renae explained to him. "All that myth about them? It's true, it's just rare. So I'm kind of human…I'm just more like a Fallen Angel."

Stefan nodded and swallowed. "Wow…and in all this time you've been back you never once thought to come and see me?"

"What was I supposed to do, Stefan? I died and you had to watch it and I just didn't want to do that to you again." She told him shrugging, taking breath and then reaching for her jacket off of the back of her chair.

"Maybe you should have let me decide whether or not I could handle you coming back." Stefan replied as he watched her pull her jacket on.

Renae nodded slowly and then before she could figure out what it was that she was doing, she was kissing him and he wasn't hesitating in kissing her back. Obviously things couldn't just simply go back to normal, but at the same time she was still in love with him and she knew that. The thing about it was that she _knew_ he hadn't come back to Mystic Falls for _her_, and she knew deep down why.

As Stefan slid his fingers into her hair and she moved her lips against his, she thought a little too much about it. He had come back to Mystic Falls and it just happened to be the place where Katherine's look alike, Elena, was? Stefan had obviously come back to know more about Elena, and Renae being there was just a perk. So she pulled back and looked up at Stefan, shaking her head and taking a step back.

"Elena…you've met her already, haven't you?" Renae asked him, nodding as he nodded slowly. "She looks exactly like her."

Stefan nodded slowly. "Yeah she does."

"I assume she's nothing like her though?" Renae inquired when he reached out to stroke her hair. "Why…why…I still love you."

Stefan smiled softly and kissed her gently, both of them aware that this didn't change anything—it was just a greeting. There were things to work out, but right that moment they just wanted to be with each other and that mattered above all else. Then they headed for the school and Renae moved away from Stefan, heading straight for her locker as he sought out Elena.

She bit her lip and opened up her locker, getting her books out, glancing to her side when she felt someone beside her. Aaliyah smiled at her and she smiled back, taking a breath when she saw the look on Aaliyah's face. She was incredibly worried, mainly because she knew that Damon now knew she was holding out because she couldn't defeat him, and she was vulnerable.

"What's wrong, Aaliyah?" Renae asked softly.

Aaliyah took a deep breath. "I have a question to ask you and I don't know how you're going to take it."

"I'm not just going to hand Stefan over to you—I _told_ you that." Renae told her, glancing around to make sure no one had heard her say that even though she'd lowered her voice a bit to get it out.

"No…no…I was wondering if I could move in with you until I've found a way to get rid of Damon." Aaliyah admitted and closed her eyes. "I just don't feel safe on my own now that he knows that I'm around."

Renae swallowed and then nodded slowly. "You can live with me for a while…I don't know why I'm letting you, but I don't like being lonely either, so I understand. There are house rules, however."

"I wouldn't expect anything less." Aaliyah told her nodding. "What are they?"

"You can't harm the Salvatore's in any way in my house or on my property." Renae said without skipping a beat.

Aaliyah felt like she was asking the impossible of her, but she simply nodded because she could lure the Salvatore's to some other place. Renae on her own wasn't a threat so Aaliyah didn't have any reason to try and take _her_ out, but at the same time Aaliyah wondered why she was allying herself with someone who had the Salvatore brother's _interests_ at heart. She was almost her enemy just by association and yet…and yet Aaliyah for some God forsaken reason understood that Renae was simply _in love_ with Stefan.

"Deal." Aaliyah said nodding.

Renae nodded at her and smiled again, both of them heading to homeroom and realizing that they were in it with Caroline, Bonnie, Elena and Stefan. They got through the whole day talking to each other and occasionally with Caroline, then Renae helped Aaliyah to move the items in that Aaliyah didn't think she could leave behind. Aaliyah suggested they order some pizza and get to know each other a little better, Renae agreeing and then getting a call on her cell from an unknown caller, telling Aaliyah she'd be right back and heading out on the back porch through the sliding door.

"Hello?" She answered cautiously.

Damon chuckled from the other end. "So it's true—you're a Spirit, Renae."

"What do you want, Damon?" Renae asked him, getting straight to the point because she didn't want to play any of Damon's games.

"I want to cash in on that favor that you owe me." Damon told her with a soft shrug.

**Note: I promise there will be **_**more**_** explanations later and some interactions with the other characters. Right now I'm just focusing on helping you guys get to know Renae and Aaliyah a little more. Feedback is always appreciated!**


	3. Hidden Agendas

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**And it's another chapter.**

**I hope you guys like this one—it's got secrets, more explanations and some fluff as well as a smutty flashback, so be warned.**

**WARNINGS: Language, Blood, Violence, Gore, Sex, Dark Themes**

**ENJOY!**

xxxx

Renae skipped out almost immediately to go and talk to Damon, leaving Aaliyah to wonder what was going on. If Damon was going to pull that kind of card with her when he'd had decades to do so, there had to be a _good_ reason for it. Besides, he had seen her before once she was back alive and it wasn't like he only just _then_ knew that she was a Spirit—Damon was a lot of things, but he was _not_ stupid.

"Well I'm not just going to sit here and twiddle my thumbs when she was acting suspiciously." Aaliyah told herself, getting up and grabbing her jacket.

She headed out of the house, following Renae to the Salvatores and nodding slowly—she might have known. It was starting to make her rather nervous that the company she was holding including the Salvatore brothers now. She was supposed to be _killing_ them, and yet now she was living with someone who was strong enough to potentially ruin _every_ plan that she had set in motion. Aaliyah was going to kill Damon and Stefan…and anyone else who got in her way—the two had to go.

Renae knocked on the front door hard, looking a little embarrassed and yet smiling when Stefan opened the door. He was surprised to see her, and see her in such a hurry, inviting her in as Aaliyah headed around to a patch of bushes to get a closer look at what was going on. She wasn't sure if she was going to be able to find an open window, or even _hear_ anything, but as long as she could _see_ what was happening, there wouldn't be a problem.

"What are you doing here?" Stefan asked her, helping her out of her jacket.

Renae looked up at him. "I'm here to see your brother, actually…you look a little shaken—I take it you and Damon are still not getting along?"

"That's an understatement." Stefan admitted, thinking on his and his brother's physical fight before, which lead in Damon surprisingly giving him his ring back.

"Nothing broken, though?" Renae asked him, smiling a bit.

Stefan smiled back. "Nothing broken—thanks for asking."

Renae nodded and then glanced past Stefan, seeing Damon standing there with that look in his eyes—that look that said that she couldn't tell Stefan a thing. Damon was up to something and he needed Renae's help, but how could she _not_ tell Stefan? He knew she was around and he was being friendly and it was obvious that they were still close even though they weren't together, so she couldn't keep secrets from him—_especially_ not secrets that _Damon_ was making her keep.

"I need to talk to your girlfriend alone." Damon said simply, taking Renae by the hand and dragging her down the hallway.

Renae made a face. "Damon, I can walk on my own!"

"I know." Damon replied without skipping a beat.

She sighed and rolled her eyes as Damon led her into one of their many rooms and shut the door behind them, Stefan making a face. Not only could he sense that someone was around, but he really didn't like that Damon wanted to talk to Renae alone—really didn't like how he was treating her. Knowing she could take care of herself, however, Stefan went outside and found Aaliyah in a bush, smiling a little as she got out of the bush and brushed herself off. For some reason she wasn't afraid of Stefan like she was of Damon—she felt like the only true threat to her well-being was Damon…but that didn't change her mission.

"I take it you're Aaliyah?" Stefan asked her.

She nodded slowly. "And you're Stefan."

"Guilty as charged." Stefan replied with a shrug. "You know, you can hear things a _lot_ better from _inside_."

"I won't get what I'm looking for if I'm _in_ the room where you can all censor what you're going to say." Aaliyah pointed out to him.

Stefan nodded and put his hands in his pockets. "I understand that and yet you're still welcome."

"I'm a slayer, Stefan—I'm not here to make friends with you and your brother." She explained to him, trying to figure out _why_ he was being so hospitable.

Stefan nodded again and then headed back towards the house, Aaliyah sighing loudly and giving up to go back home. She knew it was kind of useless to be there, and that Renae would be back sooner or later. If Renae was extending the hand of friendship, then it was likely that Damon and Stefan would be around the house and Aaliyah could eavesdrop _then_ and actually get useful information. So for right then, Aaliyah was going to get some sleep and finish her math assignment, leaving Renae to whatever it was that she was doing that had her all flustered before.

"You're up to something." Renae told Damon simply, plopping down in a chair in the study, looking at him as he poured himself some scotch.

Damon shrugged at that. "Aren't I always?"

"Look, cut the bullshit and tell me what you want from me." Renae said as she closed her eyes. "I'm only here because I owe you."

"Ouch—you don't want to still be friends?" Damon teased, Renae laughing a little because she knew he was only faking being hurt by it.

Renae opened her eyes up and looked at him. "You saved my life, Damon, and I owe you a favor. I'm willing to do anything for you, but I want you to know that doing something for you _and_ not telling Stefan are two _completely_ different things and only _one_ counts as a favor."

"Trust me, Renae, you do _not_ want to tell Stefan what it is that I am planning to do." Damon explained to her, laughing a little and then giving her that cheeky smile that he was so good at.

Renae took a deep breath and nodded, smiling a little at him and realizing that whatever it was that he was doing, Damon was serious about it. When Damon got that way Renae knew that things were deep and part of her saw the old Damon underneath it all, protecting Damon from things. He was the older brother and he protected Stefan even though he really didn't like his brother—because it was Stefan's fault that the two were vampires…Damon hadn't wanted it without Katherine.

"I probably don't." Renae agreed as she stood, crossing over to Damon and getting herself some scotch as well. "What do you want me to do?"

Damon looked directly at her. "I want you to keep your new little friend from getting in my way. She's going to ruin everything that I'm trying to accomplish if she starts hunting vampires and leaving trails for the law enforcement."

"So you want me to somehow stop Aaliyah from doing what she came here to do?" Renae asked him, sighing. "Done."

"Good." Damon said simply, downing his scotch and then taking Renae's freshly poured glass from her and downing that too. "Now go entertain your boyfriend or something."

Renae rolled her eyes. "Stefan's not my boyfriend anymore."

Damon just shrugged like he didn't care and watched Renae leave the room, Stefan outside the door waiting for her. She went to go and grab her jacket, smiling a little when Stefan helped her into it and then took her hand as she went towards the door. Renae slowly turned to face him and gave him a soft smile, both of them making eye contact as Damon watched them. Then Stefan stepped closer to Renae and reached out to cup her face, Renae biting her lip.

"Stay here with me tonight, Rae." Stefan said softly.

xx

Jay Carlington understood why he was around and he understood why he could never find his sister, but this was different. Ever since she had been brought back he knew that he had to tell her what Damon had done, but how? She'd always been so close to Damon and Stefan and now he was around and what was she going to think? It had been _decades_ since they'd seen each other and he hadn't been there for her like he should have been.

"I swear I just _can't_ catch a break tonight." Aaliyah said sighing, going to punch Jay in the face.

She could sense vampires—that was just part of what it meant to be a slayer—and here she was just trying to get back home and vampire. Jay moved his head and grabbed her arm, throwing her to the side and then looking at her. Aaliyah looked up at him, rather surprised at how strong he was, and went for him again, this time making contact with his jaw before finding her ass back on the ground. Annoyed that she seemed so out of practice, she swung her legs under him and got on top of him when he hit the ground hard, Jay stopping her hand, the stake just inches from his heart.

"Way to show hospitality to Renae by killing her big brother." Jay puffed out, straining to keep the stake from coming any closer to him.

Aaliyah was caught off guard. "Excuse me?"

"Jay Carlington, at your service." He managed, pushing her off in her weak moment of confusion and standing up, brushing himself off. "I can prove it, and if I can't we can finish this—I give you my word."

"I'm starting to feel like being the slayer is kind of useless here." Aaliyah said in a rather aggravated voice. "I'm supposed to _kill_ vampires, not let them all live!"

Jay nodded and shrugged a little. "I take it you've already met Damon and Stefan and Renae won't help you to kill them? Well I assure you there are other vampires coming that you can kill."

"Well I'm looking forward to that, then." Aaliyah admitted with a nod.

Jay laughed a little and nodded as well, disappearing into the shadows as Aaliyah let out an annoyed noise and went to the house, going inside. She ate some of the pizza that was still out and turned on the TV, trying to keep her mind off of what Renae might be doing. She obviously wasn't on her way home yet…or maybe she was. Would she call if she was going to stay out? Why would she _stay_ with the Salvatores? What if Damon and Stefan wanted _Renae_ to take Aaliyah out?

"I like your room." Renae told Stefan as she closed the door behind her, Stefan sitting on his bed and looking up at her. "It's cozy and…quaint, I guess."

Stefan chuckled as she took off her jacket. "I suppose I should thank you for that."

"It _would_ be the polite thing to do." Renae laughed, her laughing fading as she saw a picture of Katherine on the desk where she was putting her jacket. "I guess there are some things that never change."

"No…Rae…I have a picture of you too—several actually." Stefan admitted, getting up and getting some to show her because he didn't want her to feel like Katherine was the only one on his mind. "She turned me…_you_ loved me. There's a difference."

Renae nodded and looked at him, smiling a little. "I know there is."

Stefan nodded slowly and then set the pictures on the desk, taking her hand and backing up towards the bed. Renae rolled her eyes playfully and then watched him as he sat on the end of the bed, sitting on his lap and wrapping her arms around his neck. She kissed him without hesitation even though there were a lot of thoughts running through her mind…she just didn't know how to voice them when he was right there.

"You know…I never said it back." Stefan whispered as he pulled back, lying on the bed and smiling softly as her body followed with his. "I missed you so much, you know. When I found out that you could actually be alive I had to find you. Caroline is kind of infatuated with you."

Renae laughed a little and stroked his cheek with her fingertips and he stroked her hair. "Well that's what happens when you show up as the new girl and then get mega popular."

"It's the only way I knew, and then Damon filled me in a bit about how you could be a Spirit…what did he wanted to talk to you about?" Stefan asked her.

"Remember when he saved my life?" Renae asked, nodding as Stefan nodded and cocked his head a little to one side. "He's cashing in on his favor."

Stefan sighed and rolled his eyes, annoyed with his brother and yet not wanting to let it get in the way of reuniting with Renae the way he should have in the first place. He still had yet to admit that he was still in love with her, but he knew how she felt about this—knew that she was worried about getting _too_ close to him when she'd died on him before and he'd had to watch her go. How could he continue without explaining to her how he felt though? How could he do that and still be happy with himself?

"I still love you too." Stefan told her suddenly.

It was out of the blue and not related to their conversation about Damon at all, but for some reason it made Renae's stomach erupt into butterflies. Stefan smiled as she pressed her lips to his, resituating herself on top of him a little, slipping her fingers farther into his hair and cradling his head. He ran a hand down her body to her hip, pulling her closer to him and sensing her sudden need to pull away.

"Wait, wait, wait," Renae breathed out, sitting up, "can we—"

Stefan was already pulling his shirt off since he had sat up with her, his eyes blazing into hers and then he smirked a little. Her sentence had stopped when she saw his chest, reaching out slowly and resting her hands on his pecks, running her thumbs along his skin as he held her close and kissed her forehead, his fingers running through her hair. She looked into his eyes and then pulled her hands back, pulling her shirt off too and then kissing Stefan again, deciding to ignore her head.

Renae had always had a habit of thinking _too_ much when it came to making relationships cross another line, and she closed her eyes as Stefan moved his lips along her jaw line, finding her neck. Stefan kissed her soft skin and felt her pulse thumping away, running his lips along her, sucking softly and feeling the sudden urge to bite down. He stopped suddenly as he felt the blood lust hit him, feeling assaulted by memories and trying to control himself.

"_Stefan…" Renae breathed, squeezing her eyes shut as she felt Stefan's fangs pierce the flesh of her neck. _

_Stefan rocked his body against hers, both as close as they could get, Renae digging her nails into Stefan's shoulders and she moved her hips in tune with his. He drank a little from her as he latched on, feeling the pleasure mount as she squeaked out another sound and then simply moaned softly, trying to quicken the pace between them. That only made Stefan bite down harder, grunting as Renae broke the skin on his back with her nails, climaxing as Stefan let go of her neck._

_He ran his tongue along her bite wound, smiling a little as it disappeared, bucking against her twice more before he came, kissing her collar bone. Soon his lips found hers, both of them holding each other close and kissing passionately, her tongue pushing into his mouth, trying to taste the remnants of her own blood in his mouth. She honestly __**enjoyed**__ being bitten by him, and he couldn't deny that he found pleasure in it as well._

"_I don't find that very fair." She teased, laughing a little and looking him in the eye with a smile on her face as he ran his nose along her and stole an innocent kiss from her. "What about me?"_

_Stefan rolled his eyes, a grin on his face. "Wasn't this whole thing __**all about you**__?"_

"_Stefan…" Renae told him, whining playfully and then smiling when he held his wrist up to her mouth._

_He watched expectantly as she opened her mouth, her fangs exposed now, biting into his wrist. They locked eye contact until the blood gushed into her mouth, making her close her eyes and smile a little as she drank from him. She didn't drink much and soon they were kissing again, the wound on his wrist healed, and he knew this was how it would be—the two of them forever, doing whatever they wanted._

"I…I can't." Stefan said, pulling back suddenly.

Renae saw the red in his eyes, and the veins popping around his eyes and nodded. "Stefan, its okay…I trust you."

She understood that Stefan wasn't the way that he had been before, and he did too, but it was hard enough as it was to control himself. That was something that Jay understood too, which was way he understood that his sister was on Stefan's side above Aaliyah's. He just didn't know if she was on _Damon's_ side over Aaliyah's after everything that Damon had put them both through. Yeah, Damon had saved Renae's life once upon a time, but that _one_ good deed didn't make up for _everything_ that he had done.

"Fine…you're her brother—but you're still a vampire." Aaliyah countered as she flipped through a photo album out on the porch.

Jay had led verbally led her into Renae's room and helped her to get a photo album, not allowed to be invited in. He was impressed that Aaliyah had remembered given that she was a little scatterbrained right then, but now he expected to be let in. When she didn't move to invite him into the house he just sighed and nodded, looking her in the eye and shrugging at her.

"I'm not going to hurt you, or anyone else unless they ask me to." Jay joked, stopping laughing when Aaliyah shot him a look. "All right…I'm just gonna go."

Aaliyah nodded and then closed her eyes and cringed. "I guess you can come in."

**Note: Yeah, I know, I know—I stopped it at an inopportune place. Next chapter has a **_**lot**_** in it, and I hope you guys are still enjoying it! Feedback is always appreciated!**


	4. Secrets Come Out

**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**

**So here is the next chapter and I'm pretty happy about it and where it's going and I hope you guys are happy about it too.**

**WARNINGS: Language, Blood, Violence, Gore, Sex, Dark Themes**

**ENJOY!**

xxxx

"_No, no, no, no, no!" Renae cried, tucking her dark hair behind her ears frantically and trying to catch her breath._

_This wasn't how it was supposed to happen—this wasn't how it was supposed to happen. She wasn't supposed to finally find him and get close to him again and then have him dying there with only one way out. Stefan looked up at her, pain etched across his features and he wasn't sure what she was doing when she bared her wrist to him but suddenly he knew…he knew and he couldn't do that. He had told her he wouldn't do this—he had told her he was strictly on animal blood._

"_Please just drink." Renae said softly, Stefan understanding the fondness in her voice. "Please—it'll be like old times."_

_Stefan took in a breath even though it was difficult for him. "I'm not going to do this, and you know it. Just let me go."_

"_You're not leaving me, Stefan…just do it." Renae whispered before she cut into her wrist and put it back in front of his face, the scent of blood filling up his nostrils._

Renae woke up with a start and opened her eyes, lying in Stefan's bed and sat up slowly, trying not to disturb him. He was awake and immediately set to running his hands along her bare back, both of them in their underwear. They hadn't done anything because Stefan was getting too many urges to drink from Renae and since he didn't want to slip up and Renae just wanted to stay with him no matter what they did, they kissed and groped each other and then fell asleep. Now she was having the dream again, only slightly different in places and she didn't really know what that meant.

"What's wrong?" Stefan asked her.

Renae swallowed and closed her eyes as Stefan kissed her shoulder blade softly, running his nose along her shoulder and the darkened skin where her wings came out of. He was being so attentive and so caring, both of them taking a moment just to revel in the moment because the two of them enjoyed this. It had been a long time since they had been able to be together and it was nice to just be close to each like this…they just liked being able to show the other how fond they still were of each other no matter what had happened.

"Are you involved in something that's going to get you hurt?" Renae asked, leaning back into Stefan and feeling his skin brush against hers as he cradled her and kissed the nape of her neck swiftly.

Stefan shook his head and ran his fingers along her arms and nuzzling her with his nose again. "No…I'm not actually _planning_ on doing anything dangerous. Why?"

"I keep having this nightmare that you get injured and I have to save you by having you drink from me—I'm not really happy about it." Renae admitted to him.

"Well rest assured that I'm not planning on making you have to do that. Even if I _did_ get that hurt, I wouldn't drink from you." Stefan explained to her, giving her shoulder a squeeze and kissing her head again. "I don't trust myself with blood anymore."

Renae made a face and turned to face him, happy he was still holding her close and stroking her skin and her hair. She kissed him gently, slipping her fingers into his hair and teasing the corner of his mouth with her tongue. He smiled a little and opened up his mouth for her, letting her explore it as much as she wanted before she pulled back.

"I need you, Stefan…so if it came down to you having to do it, I'd force you too, and then help you later on down the road." Renae explained to him.

Stefan laughed a little. "Fine, but you'd be taking it all upon yourself and I doubt you'd like what you saw."

"It wouldn't be anything I haven't seen before." Renae shrugged softly.

Stefan laughed again and then the two got up to get ready for class, Aaliyah coming down the stairs in hers and Renae's home. Jay was in the kitchen sipping some blood in a coffee mug, smiling up at Aaliyah who looked a little disgusted with what was taking place. She grabbed herself something to eat as Jay got ready to enroll into the school as well, trying to figure out how to talk to his sister.

"So…you're going to the school then?" Aaliyah asked him.

Jay nodded and then shrugged. "I don't see why I should go since I'm way too old to have to go through High School again but at the same time…I can't abandon my twin."

"Since you're twins, I don't think you can be her 'big' brother…even if you _did_ come out first." Aaliyah told him as she sipped some coffee. "Doesn't she find that annoying? I mean you're twins—you have the same birthday and everything."

"I'm older and she deals with that." Jay said with a chuckle and a shrug, grabbing a book bag. "I assume I'm heading out on my own and you'll catch up?"

Aaliyah looked at him and nodded. "Yeah…I'll catch up."

"See you there, A." Jay told her with a wink.

Aaliyah just stared after him, quite dumbfounded, and then took a deep breath and gathered up her things. When she opened up her door, Damon was standing there and she stayed on her side of the door where she felt a lot safer. He just smirked at her and looked her up and down, knowing why he was there and knowing that he was going to need to explain himself. Aaliyah just wanted him to leave so she could walk out the door and then reach the safety of the school—have the crowds of people around her.

"What do you want?" Aaliyah asked him.

Damon chuckled at her. "I wanted to give you a heads up on some vampires coming into town tonight. I'm going to be otherwise occupied because I feel like I need a break, but I figured since you can't catch a break…you'd like to know."

"Renae was right when she said you have a knack for knowing _everything_—how do you do that?" Aaliyah asked him.

"You don't think I'm going to just start telling you _every_ secret I possess, do you, Slayer?" Damon asked, giving her a look and shaking his head. "I just wanted you to know. Jay is here, Renae is here and hasn't seen her brother since they were both turned and here you are—unable to take out anyone. You're kind of the worst slayer in the history of time, aren't you?"

Aaliyah shot daggers at him with her eyes. "Did you have anything to say other than that? Looking at your face is making me physically sick."

"Ouch." Damon told her, winking at her and then hurrying away.

Aaliyah waited a couple of moments before heading outside, going straight to the school and seeing Stefan talking to Renae by her locker. He wasn't super close and he wasn't showing any PDA, but it was obvious to Aaliyah that the looks they were giving each other were more than just friendship. They had a history that Aaliyah knew she was never going to be able to understand, but at the same time she was a little envious—Renae knew love, and she could _trust_…Aaliyah wished that _she_ could do that.

"You realize that you can be part of this 'Founders' thing, right? Your family is in that category, Renae." Stefan was telling her as Aaliyah grabbed her books and walked up to Renae. "So why don't you want to run?"

Renae rolled her eyes and closed her locker. "Because those kinds of things have all sort of background checks."

"She's right—someone's bound to find the holes somewhere. Besides, she _was_ Miss Mystic Falls wasn't she? Back during her first life?" Aaliyah asked when she'd joined them.

"Yeah, see? I'm not doing that to myself again." Renae told him and then her smile and her laugh both faded and she looked down the hallway to see Jay standing there, giving her a small wave and sheepish shrug and smile. "JAY!"

Renae didn't even stop to think twice about her brother being there—a lot of weirder things had happened in her life. She bounded down the hallway and jumped on her brother, hugging him tightly as he laughed and spun her around. He was so happy to finally get to see her and to tell her everything that he knew, but he knew that if Damon saw him and knew what he was telling Renae, things would be bad. Jay wasn't supposed to do anything to undermine Damon but at the same time Jay didn't care—Renae was more important to him and he was strong enough now to go against Damon.

"Oh my God!" Renae exclaimed as she got off of her brother, not caring that she was making a scene and people in the hall were watching as she hit her brother in the arm. "Do I have Damon to thank slash kill for you?"

Jay laughed and nodded. "Yeah…yeah you do."

"I swear there is more to him than he lets on." Renae said shaking her head, and then she snatched the schedule out of his hand. "My, my, my, look at that—we have the same homeroom."

"Damn! I was hoping that we wouldn't have to be near each other." Jay teased, hugging Renae again when she hugged him. "Let's go to class."

xx

By the time school was over, Aaliyah had suggested they all go back to the house, Renae telling them that she'd meet them there. Jay opted out as well, Aaliyah realizing she was going to be stuck with Stefan. She didn't want to do that, but at the same time she didn't want to be rude and take back the invitation, so they went to the house and she invited Stefan in.

"Now that I've been invited in by both you _and_ Renae, I feel a little special." Stefan told her, setting his book bag and his jacket on the couch. "I won't stay too long—just until Renae makes her way back. I know you don't want to be my friend."

Aaliyah took a deep breath. "Look, I have nothing against _you_ personally, I just…you're a vampire and I'm the slayer. Killing you is my job and I just—I feel like I can't even do _that_ right."

"Not all of us are heartless killing machines." Stefan explained to her. "Sure _most_ of us are, but some of us have feelings and morals."

"It doesn't really help that you _all_ drink blood." Aaliyah told him, pouring them both some coffee.

Stefan nodded slowly. "Yeah, that's true. If it helps any, I stick to animal blood. I've been off of human blood for a very, _very_ long time—in fact Renae helped me to wean myself off."

"It's still weird to think about Renae having been a vampire once." Aaliyah admitted as she made a face. "I mean I get that she's a Spirit and yet…and yet it's weird to think about. She doesn't seem like the kind of person that would kill."

Stefan smiled a little at her and nodded, explaining to her that Renae was incredibly frail and sick when they had met. She had plenty of people interested in her, but marriage was always out because she was too sick to handle the home on her own and that meant she was more work than she was worth. Renae had been insanely beautiful just the same, and mean adored her, but Stefan was the first one to stick around long enough to find out that she was strong and independent—that she was beautiful inside and out.

He fell in love with her and she fell in love with him, Damon growing tired of being in the town for too long and taking off. Stefan knew that Renae was close to dying, and she found out he was a vampire, so she asked him to turn her and though he turned her down at first, he accepted. He in a way had saved her life and she was so grateful that he offered for her to come with him. They had found her a ring to wear so she could go out into the sunlight with him, and then the two of them roamed the world together—sometimes with Damon—and eventually Renae wanted a change.

She was strong enough and willed enough to find a way to wean herself onto animal blood, helping Stefan to make the transition as well. They settled down in several places and Stefan knew that Renae entertained the idea of marriage but never voiced it. Stefan never had the courage to voice it either, just assuming that they'd be together forever and then her past caught up with her and she died saving Stefan and a town full of villagers and she deserve to now have wings and powers.

"Wow…there are a lot of things that I didn't know about you guys." Aaliyah said softly, blushing a bit. "I feel kind of bad for just judging you as a vampire."

Stefan shrugged and her. "Don't worry about it—it won't be the last time I'm judged. You're the slayer, Aaliyah. You were taught to look at us as the enemy and that's fine."

"But it's _not_ fine. You guys can reform yourselves and I just…I'm not here to just kill you, Stefan." Aaliyah promised him. "I know I don't really have a reason to trust anything that you've said, but I trust Renae, and I trust from what I've seen of you and heard from Jay that _you're_ not the threat…Damon is."

"I want to vouch for my brother…but I can't." Stefan admitted shaking his head. "I feel bad too because it's _my_ fault he's the way that he is."

Aaliyah raised her eyebrows at that as Renae waltzed right into the Salvatore Mansion and headed to Damon's room. She knew she could handle herself if he got upset and attacked her, opening up the door and smiling at him. He quickly finished his phone call and gave her a look, sighing loudly as she shook her head and pointed to the chair near them. Damon sat in it even though he really didn't have to, and he looked up at her, pulling a playful face as she walked over to him and look down at him.

"So what is your plan, Damon? I saw Jay today." Renae told him with a shrug. "So you turned my brother? What about his family? He had a son, Damon! Will you please tell me what's going on?"

Damon took a deep breath. "As far as I was aware, Renae, you weren't my friend anymore."

"Damon, I'm _always_ going to be your friend. I may not always agree with what you do, but I have your best interests at heart and I'm not just going to let Aaliyah kill you—I would hope by now that you'd know that." Renae explained, kneeling down in front of him and taking his hand in hers. "You saved my life when you didn't have to and it took you _this long_ to cash in on a favor. I'm always going to see you as a friend no matter what you do."

"I'm resurrecting Katherine." Damon said simply, standing up and pulling his hand back.

Damon had found the words touching, heartfelt and sincere—he knew that she meant it and he felt the same kind of friendship with her. It was just that Damon couldn't just show her that he felt that way because he was the _strong_ Salvatore and he wasn't going to change that. He had created an image for himself and even if he knew that Renae was going to catch on to _why_ he was doing this, he knew that he couldn't tell her that he still cared about her well-being—that he'd still save her life again if he had to.

"Wow…why would you want to do that, Damon? She _used_ you." Renae told him, standing up and crossing over to him but not touching him.

Damon shrugged and poured himself some scotch. "She was the only reason I allowed myself to be turned. If you want to understand, she was to me what Stefan was to you."

"Oh…I didn't realize you loved her so much." Renae admitted, putting her hands into her pockets. "So…what's your next move?"

"Are you going to tell Stefan?" Damon asked her, sipping some scotch and looking her in the eye, nodding slowly in amazement when she shook her head.

Renae took a deep breath. "This isn't something I want to tell him—it's not something that he should hear coming from me."

Damon nodded and thanked her, Jay walking up to Elena as she wrote in her journal in the cemetery, Elena looking up at him. She gave him a soft smile and recognized him as the new guy who had been watching her during their classes together. He waved at her and she stood up, brushing herself off and wondering why in the world he was there. What was he doing in the cemetery?

"I guess I didn't peg you for someone who hung out with dead people." Jay told her with a chuckle. "I just came to visit some of my ancestors' graves."

Elena nodded and pointed to the grave she'd been next to. "My parents are buried here, so sometimes I come here to get things out—that's what the journal is for."

"I'm sorry to hear about your parents." Jay told her sincerely. "Renae and I lost ours too, actually. Our uncle comes in and out of town."

"I live with my aunt." Elena explained, smiling up at him. "So you're Jay, right?"

Jay nodded at her. "Guilty as charged. Elena, correct?"

Elena nodded and couldn't really understand why the smile on her face wouldn't go away. Jay smiled back and then went into stories about his 'ancestors', Elena laughing and Jay realizing that he hadn't felt this feeling in his stomach in a while. Dating and companionship hadn't been high on his list since Damon had turned him after a group of vampires killed his wife and his son—Jay became a vampire for revenge and he still drank from humans…still _used_ humans…but he didn't want to _use_ Elena.

"You want to go grab a bite to eat someplace where people have a pulse?" Jay asked her, hoping she'd say 'yes'.

Elena smiled at him and nodded. "Yeah…yeah that sounds good."

"Good." Jay told her and he motioned for her to go first, feeling like he was being watched and wanting to protect her…_why_ did he want to _protect_ her?

**Note: Well now you know what Damon is planning, and he's letting Renae know? Really? Jay is back and Aaliyah is feeling useless and what is up with this Jay/Elena stuff? I have a **_**lot **_**of ideas for this, but I'd also **_**love **_**to know what you guys would like to read, so let me know. Feedback is always appreciated!**


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